No. 14 Ohio State Knocks Off No. 12 Penn State, 3-1

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After falling behind early in the match, the No. 14 Ohio State men's volleyball team rallied to take a 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22) win over non-conference rival and No. 12 Penn State Friday night in St. John Arena. The victory moved the Buckeyes to 8-8 on the season.

Tonight's match was broadcast by BTN and will air on a tape delay Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m. ET.

Aaron Russell led the Nittany Lions (13-4) with 20 kills, while Nick Goodell added 15. Setter Taylor Hammond had a match-high 44 assists and Peter Russell led the team with nine digs.

The Buckeyes jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, highlighted by a service ace from Henchy. PSU, however, responded with a 9-2 run and took a 9-5 advantage. A kill by Lutz followed by an ace from Dustan Neary pulled the Buckeyes within one at 13-12. After exchanging points, the Nittany Lions went on a 6-1 run to push ahead 24-15. Penn State closed out the first set, 25-17.

After a Buckeye timeout trailing 11-9 in the second set, Ohio State responded to pull within one at 12-11 PSU. The Nittany Lions moved ahead at 18-14 before a trio of PSU errors and a kill from Henchy tied the score at 18 apiece. More Penn State errors lifted the Buckeyes to a 21-19 lead and Johnson sealed the second set with a service ace, 25-22.

Set three opened with the two teams exchanging points and runs, totaling 10 ties. A kill from Henchy sent the Buckeyes on a three-point run for a 14-12 advantage, but the Nittany Lions responded with a 5-0 rally to go ahead 18-15. Kills from Guessous and Johnson brought OSU within two at 20-18 and a PSU error sent the Buckeyes on a run, bringing them to set point at 24-22. After a Nittany Lion sideout, a Henchy kill gave the team a 25-23 win.

An early Penn State run moved the visitors to a 7-4 advantage to start the fourth. The Buckeye began to rally back and came within a point at 12-11 PSU. A kill from Henchy and a solo block by Lutz highlighted another three-point Buckeye run that tied the set at 15-all. A pair of two-point Ohio State rallies gave the squad a 20-19 lead and a kill from Henchy secured match point, 24-22. A service ace by Blough clinched a 25-22 win and the match.

Ohio State kicks off three-match road swing next week, beginning at MIVA rival and nationally-ranked Lewis, March 11. The Buckeyes and the Flyers face off in an 8 p.m. ET match in Romeoville, Ill.